distill
to purify or draw out the essential part
Roots
- dis- / dif-: apart, away, not, reversal, or disruption
- still / stilla: drop, drip, or let fall in drops
Other words with the still / stilla root
- instill: to put an idea or feeling gradually into someone
Dis- gives apart and stilla gives drops: distill separates the essence drop by drop.
Her summary distilled twenty pages into one clean argument.
Distill is useful beyond chemistry. You can distill a liquid, an argument, a lesson, or a mood: keep what matters and let the excess fall away.